


Cherry Wine

by loisselina (LoisSelina)



Series: Cherry Wine Verse [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Daddy Charming, Domestic Violence, Gen, Hope is called Sophie in this, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, The Charming Family, and Neal is about 10, anti captain swan, but not in this fic probably in the follow up, mama Snow, my original version of this is on my old fanfic account
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 06:38:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19785280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoisSelina/pseuds/loisselina
Summary: Emma thought that she shared True Love with Killian, not long after they're married she sees a darker side of him, she keeps trying, only to find herself without friends or family and forced to move out of town by him when Sophie is only a month old.What will it take for her to leave?





	Cherry Wine

**Author's Note:**

> This is very anti captain swan and Killian is abusive in this - I like Killian in general but not as part of this relationship. There are references and depictions of domestic abuse, if you are triggered by this please go careful or don't read at all.

The wedding was idyllic, at first, like something out of a fairy tale. It reminded her a lot of her parents marriage, they would cuddle up watching things on Netflix, go on little adventures, they’d surprise each other with little gifts: the only real difference was there was a lot more alcohol involved, but Emma knew her dad had issues surrounding alcohol and his own father so he barely drank, and Snow could easily outdrink any soldier but after having Emma and Neal she couldn’t hold her alcohol anymore.

* * *

  
  


Six months into their marriage came the first thing which shouldn’t have even been a red flag, it should have been a flashing neon sign, with loud music, telling her to run. It was a night after Killian had drunk a lot. They had argued about that, Emma telling him he should stop or at least slow down, there had been a lot of shouting, Emma had snatched the glass of rum from him, and thrown it into the kitchen sink, at first there was just the smashing of the glass, then there was a punch, not a slap, but a proper punch, Emma fell onto the hard kitchen floor. 

Killian had apologised almost immediately, Emma  _ had _ made him mad after all, and Killian had meant the apology, he made it up to her the entire next day, treating her like the princess she (technically) was, giving her gifts, and looking after her. He even stopping drinking for nearly a week.

Emma didn’t notice the change, at first. It had crept up on her like a monster under a child’s bed. The change happened slowly, the two battled each other like a dance, trying to find either equilibrium or power, depending on which person you were. Slowly, without her realising, Emma had lost while Killian had gained complete control. She suddenly saw less of her parents, her brother, her friends, her son, half the time because Killian had told her not to, and half the time because she didn’t want them to see her like she was. She was ashamed, because she truly believed that it was her fault, he reminded her (all the time) of the fact she had been the one to force The Darkness into him, he had a right to still be mad.

She had been in love, she  _ was _ in love, true love…. Wasn’t she?

  
  
  


* * *

She heard the door slam, she was lying in bed, her body was aching from an earlier disagreement, she had been trying to sleep but she was in too much pain.

She wasn’t sure if it was the  _ actual _ smell or simply the memory of the smell of all the times it had happened before, but she  _ knew _ that he smelt like a distillery. He no longer held out for rum, his alcohol of choice, he would accept any and all and all available. 

She heard hit boots come down heavy on the wooden stairs, her heart quickened with every step. She couldn’t tell if his gait was just drunk or horny drunk, or angry drunk. 

She heard him calling her name, her new name. 

“Mrs Joooones” 

Horny then.

She pretended to be asleep, it wouldn’t stop him, but it would at least mean she could try and protect herself as best as she could.

* * *

She found out she was pregnant with only 4 months to go. She didn’t really show and didn’t have any symptoms, and when she found out she was she felt sick, Killian was there when she found out, and he was absolutely overjoyed. His pride and smile, a smile so full of love when he looked at her… it reminded her of when she had first believed they were in love. 

He didn’t lay a hand on her anymore. Sure, he was still controlling, no, protective (she reminded herself) but she remembered her father being protective over her mother when she was pregnant with Neal (it wasn’t the same, she knew that deep down, but she kept trying to rationalise it). But she didn’t get a single bruise on her from him while she was pregnant, sure there were words and mind games, names, and taunts, but he didn’t hurt her physically.

* * *

Soon Emma gave birth, with her husband holding her hand, she had ghost memories of holding Henry after he was born, though she knew they weren’t real,she thought of them again while holding her newborn daughter.

  
  


* * *

What Emma didn’t know was that by the eighth month of Emma’s pregnancy Killian was feeling stifled by Emma’s family, her parents in particular, and Regina who had always thought that Emma was too good for him. He had been in the modern world for a long time now, he knew how things worked even outside of Storybrooke, he only played the fool. 

* * *

He stood watching Emma nursing their daughter, who currently had hair darker than his though he knew that could easily change, Emma looked up at him and smiled. 

“I have a surprise for you.” He smiled. Her head tilted to the side a little. “I bought us a new house. I know I’ve always hated this place, too many bad memories, I swear I can still feel that bloody sword in the stone in the basement.” 

Emma bit her lip. The guilt inside of her for her actions while dark was an endless well. “Okay. Where are we moving to? Nearer to my parents-?”

“No. I think we both need a new start, somewhere new, where we can just be us, not the daughter of Snow white and Prince Charming, and a villian.” 

Emma hated when he put on a sneering voice to say her parent’s names. 

“But, but what about Henry, I can’t leave him-”

“He’s practically a man, and he spends most of the time out with his mates or with Regina, he won’t want to come live full time with us. We’ll give him your old car he can drive and visit us.  _ Emma, _ look down at Sophie.”

Emma did as she was told. 

“Do you want her to be able to live to see the age of five.” 

“Of course I do-” 

“- She won’t if she lives here.” 

Emma felt as though that sounded like a threat. She held Sophie closer to her. 

“Emma think about all the threats, all the monsters, all the bloody portals. Sophie won’t stand a chance. I’ve made the decision Emma, for  _ us,  _ as a family. I have a job set up, a house, you can stay at home and look after our baby, the things you never got with Henry. You want that, right? We can come visit here, if you want, but I want you and Sophie to be safe.” He walked over to her, bent down, and tenderly kissed the top of her head. “You know I’m right, don’t be so bloody stubborn Swan, yeah?” 

She felt his hold on her tighten. She nodded, not that it mattered.

* * *

Sophie was a month old when Emma left all her loved ones behind, when she led on the floor on her new home bleeding and blaming herself for it she watched her goodbyes to her parents, son, and toddler brother in her head. She wondered what they really thought of her move, they had been crying and telling her to visit but they were trying to smile and telling her that this was going to be good for her. Perhaps Killian had told them that moving was her idea.

Their new home was hours away, in a place which was in a seaside town on the east coast, their house was smaller than their one in Storybrooke, and not as well done up, but Emma tried her best to make it a home. 

She tried her best to ring her parents and Henry, she had tried facetiming but there were too often bruises on her face, if she had been crying too much then she would text. 

She had tried to bring up visiting them… that had never gone well…. 

When Sophie was two Henry had invited her to his graduation, she had begged Killian to let her go, he had beat her up so bad that she had ended up in the hospital. She told the doctors she had slipped on one of Sophie’s toys. She didn’t realise until she was back and cradling her daughter in her arms that she was lying for her husband like she had lied for too many foster parents in her own childhood.

Killian no longer gave her apologetic gifts or even said sorry.

* * *

  * ****3 Years (Sophie 5 1/2)****



Emma was exhausted. Killian hadn’t let her sleep most of the night, he had gotten horny and drunk and the alcohol had stopped him from being able to get it up, which had made him angry at her. 

She was pregnant again, only this time her husband didn’t care to keep his hands to himself, the worst of it was he didn’t seem to care that Sophie had heard him shouting at Emma many times now. 

She had only just put Sophie to bed, she was trying her best to stay awake, but she had so many things on her list she needed to do, the most important was to tidy up the house and make Killian dinner for when he came home. 

……. Only he came home early. He nearly slipped on one of Sophie’s toy cars. He saw red.

He threw the car at Emma, pushed her against the wall by her throat with his fake hand, he punched her in the face with the other. “I told you to keep her fucking toys tidy! It can’t be bloody hard! It’s just too hard for you, isn’t it?” He threw her to the ground. 

Emma didn’t realise Sophie was heading downstairs until she already by her side. 

“Daddy no! Mommy! Mommy!”

She was crying, terrified of actually seeing her father like this, Emma tried to hold her, to hold her as safe as she could. But Killian grabbed her, she let out a gasp and a whimper of pain, he had grabbed her roughly by the top of her arm and was half carrying half dragging her back up the stairs.

Emma whimpered and tried to push herself up, she needed to protect her daughter, she was frozen, absolutely terrified that he would hurt her daughter. He was back down the stairs quickly, too quickly to have actually hurt her, or so Emma hoped. 

His booted foot came down hard next to her face, there was a smash as he completely totaled her cellphone. There would be no calling for help. “I expect this place to be bloody spotless when I get back from the pub, or you’re gonna wish you were never born.” 

* * *

He had once boasted that he had knocked down her walls, and he had, like a fucking cannonball. But it didn’t feel like she had no walls, it felt like she was locked in the tallest tower with a fire breathing dragon, and there was no way out. 

She felt a stab in her heart as she heard the crying coming from her daughter’s bedroom. Emma had been through a lot, she had been hit, mocked, verbally abused, she had been cheated on- she hadn’t even felt jealous at that because at least it meant that she didn’t have to spend the night with him. But this, hearing her daughter crying because her daddy hurt her mommy, knowing that he was only getting worse… knowing that Sophie, and their unborn child, were going to see this and think it was normal… or they would become victims to their father’s rage. 

Over the past six years she had been so scared that she would simply freeze. No more.

She pushed herself to her feet. She was sore but it wasn’t nearly the worst. She placed her hand on her stomach. “It’s okay baby. We’re going to go home.” 

She made it up the stairs, a small feat being twenty weeks pregnant and having been beaten, but she had steel in her blood. She pushed open her daughter’s bedroom door. “It’s okay baby.” 

Sophie launched herself into her mom’s arms. “Mommy, are you okay? Daddy hurt you, I tried to stop him, he wouldn’t stop mommy.” 

“You’re a very, very, brave girl Sophie.” She pressed a kiss onto her soft hair, as a newborn baby it had been dark but as she had grown it had become blonde, like her mother’s. “Honey, we have to go. I told you about your grandparents, and your uncle Neal, and your brother, Henry, we’re going to go to them, but we have to be very very quick, okay?”

“We’re leaving?” 

“Yeah, honey, we are. We, we’re not safe here.” 

“Daddy hurt my arm.” 

Emma looked at it and could see a bruise already forming. “I’m sorry, I should have never, he shouldn’t have…. He’s never going to do it again. We need to pack your things up, just very special things okay, some clothes, your toothbrush, a couple of toys. You choose your favourite toys okay? We can buy you more so just your absolute favourites.” She grabbed a few bags from her own room. She packed a couple of outfits for Sophie, photographs of the two of them, and some of newborn Sophie with Emma’s family in Storybrooke, her blankie Ruby had knitted before she was born, and some of her special teddies. She made sure she had enough clothing for her daughter for nearly a week, she didn’t really have many outfits or toys anyway, Killian was in charge of their money and he choose to use it to fund his alcoholism. She felt sick looking at Killian’s face even in a photograph, but she put one of the photos of Killian and Sophie into the bag, in case Sophie wanted it one day. 

She kept Sophie with her as she headed into her bedroom. She had changed her sense of clothes to nearly the equivalent of a 50’s housewife when she and Killian had been engaged, she didn’t know why, she wasn’t aware she even did it until now. She would leave them, she grabbed as many clothes of her old style she could fit into, there was only a couple of things. She saw her wedding dress. 

“ _ True Love _ .” She sneered under her breath. She realised now how wrong she had been. She wanted to cry but it would hurt too much and she didn’t have time right now, he could be gone for an hour or so, or a couple of days, she had to be fast. She grabbed a box from the bottom of the wardrobe, inside of it was her baby blanket, photographs of her family, and other memories. 

“Soph, slip your sneakers on, we’re going to go in a minute.” She went to Killian’s beside table, turning her nose up at the smell of his strong cologne, she knew he had some cash there, she grabbed the entire envelope full of cash leaving him nothing, it was less than he had taken from her over the years. His car keys weren’t there, but she hadn’t always been this shell of a woman she was right now, she had once stolen a car and later drove it to find her parents. She could do it again. 

She lifted up the bags, making sure Sophie had her bag of toys, and they left their prison which not long ago they had been calling a home.

She used an old metal hanger to open up Killian’s car, he must have walked to whichever pub he was at now, she made quick work of hotwiring it, she opened the trunk and the backdoor, she quickly put the bags in the trunk and helped Sophie into her carseat in the back. 

“Mommy, are we ever coming home?” 

It was dark but Emma could see the dark bruise on Emma’s arm. “No, Sophie, we’re never coming back here. We’re going to have a new home, with Grandma and Grampa, and you’re never going to get hurt again.” She knew her daughter was looking confused and truthfully she felt confused too, she just had to get back to Storybrooke and then she could cry. 

* * *

About an hour away from Storybrooke Emma stopped at a superstore and grabbed a disposable cell. She put in her mom’s number but stopped before she pressed dial. She deleted the number and typed her father’s number instead, the same thing happened again, she just couldn’t press dial, she didn’t know what to say, how to explain, to explain that they had been right when they had asked her constantly if she was sure about marrying him so quickly. She had thought, hoped, she had shared true love with him. She had been so wrong, and both she and her daughter had suffered because of it, how could she admit that to them?

So instead she got back in her car and started to drive home, she could only tell them it in person, and she’d only be safe back in the barriers of her hometown.

  
  


* * *

Snow and David jerked awake at the sound of a banging noise. 

“Wha’?” David slurred, less than intelligently. He looked at his wife then towards their bedroom door. “Neal?” 

Snow was already getting out of bed. “It’s the front door.” 

David shot up. ”Let me get it, it could be-”

“- A burglar knocking on the door?” She managed to quip. She heard a soft and sleepy laugh from her husband.

“It wouldn’t be the first time. Jesus, who needs us so badly at four in the morning? They’re clearly evil.” 

The two headed down the stairs together, hurrying when the knocking carried on and knocked harder, they didn’t want it waking their son. 

David’s mouth fell open. “Emma…” He gasped. She was covered in bruises, her eye was swollen and her nose had crusted blood under it, and she was obviously pregnant. At her side was a little girl, a few years younger than Neal, his granddaughter who he hadn’t seen in nearly six years. She looked small and scared, cuddled against her mom, it was too late (or early) for her to be properly awake but he could see her assessing him as subtibly as she could, exactly like Emma had when the first curse had broken, all those years ago. 

“Emma!” Snow quickly assessed her and her daughter, while David was looking a little dumbfounded, understandably. “Hello Sophie, I don’t think you remember me, but I’m your grandma.” 

“Mommy told me stories about you, and showed me pictures.” Sophie kept a hold of her mom’s hand.

Snow hadn’t received a text from Emma in over a year. She had a feeling now that it wasn’t down to Emma. “Well, it’s very nice to see you again.” 

“Mom?” Emma’s voice caught in her throat, it came out too voice, and she fought the need to cry. “Can we stay here a while? Please?”

“Of course you can!” 

“Of course!” 

Both David and Snow said at the same time.

Emma was surprised at the lack of hesitation, she wasn’t used to that, not anymore. She allowed Snow to usher them inside She placed down the duffle in her hand onto the wooden floor of the hallway. There was a small thud as she did. Then she was pulled into their arms. She felt tears pour from her eyes her body shudder as she choked down sobs. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I couldn’t…” 

David’s hand cupped the back of her head. “It’s not your fault. Em, I, you shouldn’t have had to, I should have stepped in. Where is he?” He whispered, his voice was strained, and he was trying his best to hide his anger from his granddaughter. 

“He’s not here, he’s, we ran away, as soon as he left. He grabbed Soph, he hurt her arm, I think he wanted to hurt her more… he didn’t but… I couldn’t let him hurt her, or our next kid, I shouldn’t have stayed that long.” 

“It’s not your fault sweetheart. He shouldn’t have done that, he’s at fault, not you. He’s never going to get into this town, I promise you.” Snow kissed the side of her head and felt her wince in response. 

David did too because he crouched down next to his grandaughter. “Hey there Soph, I know this must have been a very scary day, both for you and your mommy. Have you had hot chocolate before?”

“M-Me and mommy have it when daddy’s not home.” 

David gritted his teeth before relaxing to give her a small calm smile. “Do you want to help me make some hot chocolate? Grandma’s going to help clean your mommy up which is going to be pretty boring, and I’ll show you my secret recipe for it.” 

Sophie looked to her mother. She bit her lip and fidgetted. 

“It’s okay Sophie, you go with Grandpa, I’ll be right here.” Emma watched as her daughter headed to the kitchen with David. 

“How far along are you?” 

Emma did a quick double take at her mom as it took her a minute to realise what she said. “Oh, erm, 20 weeks, I think. I haven’t had a scan, I tried but Kil- Hook, he wouldn’t-” 

Snow gently cupped her cheek. “Emma,” She interrupted, “you don’t have to explain or try to make excuses, we all understand it, and why it was so hard for you to leave. I grew up seeing my father being abusive to both my mother and Regina, and abusing me in a very different way than he abused them, I understand. Your father was neglected and abused by Robert, his mother experienced domestic violence, he understands. What’s good is that you left him, now the even harder part is that you have to rebuild, for you and your kids.” 

“I- I don’t know if I can.”

“You can. And you won’t be alone, you have me, and your father, Henry, Neal, Regina, you have all of us. You’re staying here, god knows we have the room, and you’ll need help, both you and the kids, we’re here for you. We’ll take you to the hospital to get a checkup and a scan tomorrow, and we’ll sort out your and Sophie’s rooms.” 

“Thank you.” Emma’s voice was quiet and broken and despite the pain in her face as she heard her daughter’s giggles coming from the kitchen. At least out of this entire horrible ordeal she had her kids, she could build them a better life, with the help of her parents. “I missed you guys, a lot.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping to write some follow ups to this, of the Swan girls finding their place in the United Realms and in the Charming Family once again.


End file.
